Carton sealing apparatus



Oct. 8, 1957 Filed April 6, 1955 M. M. GUGGENHEIM CARTON SEALING APPARATUS 2 shank-'Sheet 1 INVENToR.

ezzem Oct. 8, 1957 M. M. GUGGENHEIM CARTON SEALING APPARATUS 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed April 6, 1955 United States Patent FO CARTON sEALrNG APPARATUS Max Marc Guggenheim, New York, N. Y., assignor t National Equipment Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 6, 1955, Serial No. 499,641

2 Claims. (Cl. 53-374) This invention relates to apparatus for closing and sealing boxes or cartons, and has for one of its objects the provision of means by which one or more of the closure flaps of a carton will be folded down and adhesively secured in place while the carton travels through the apparatus.

Most cartons in use at the present time are provided at each of the top and bottom ends with two closure flaps. That is to say, each of these closure flaps is approximately one-half of the width of the carton so that when the two aps are folded down, they do not overlap one another but instead meet at the center of the carton to form a joint or seam over which a strip of adhesive tape is often required to be applied. An apparatus for closing and sealing cartons of this type is shown in the patent to Schlemmer, No. 2,691,260 and the present invention relates to improvements in that type of machine and which enable the same to close and seal cartons of a different construction.

The cartons which are sealed by the apparatus of the present invention differ from those described above in that their closure aps extend for the full width of the carton. That is, when the two flaps at the top or those two which are located at the bottom of the carton, are folded down into overlapped relationship, each of these aps will extend from one side wall of the carton to its opposite side wall, and accordingly the carton will be double-walled, in addition to the infolded end flaps, at both the top and bottom.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for folding down and sealing aps of this kind, namely, aps which extend completely across the top and bottom of the carton.

It is an object of the invention to provide guide means in an apparatus of this kind, by which the certainty of proper manual positioning of the cartons in the apparatus to secure correct folding of the aps, will be assured. It is another object of the invention to provide means by which the top and bottom full-width flaps of a carton will be folded into sealing position, with said top and bottom flaps being respectively folded in opposite directions by the folding means to be described.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

in the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end View of a carton of the type upon which the present apparatus operates to fold down the upper and lower flaps which flaps are shown in this figure in raised position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the platform along which the boxes to be closed and sealed are moved;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

2,808,692 Patented Oct. 8, 1957 Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The apparatus shown in the drawings corresponds in many particulars, to that shown in the patent to Schlemmer, No. 2,691,260 and accordingly the disclosures of the drawings are limited to those features of novelty possessed by the present invention over the structure shown in said patent.

The boxes or cartons upon which the present apparatus is operative are exemplified by that shown in Fig. 2, and having a box body designated at 1. The box body 1 is formed with conventional side flaps, which are not shown in order to simplify the disclosure of the aps which are folded down and sealed by the present apparatus. At the top end of the box or carton are provided the two end flaps shown at 2 and 4, that shown at 2 being foldable inwardly and downwardly on the score line 3, while that shown at 4 is foldable inwardly and downwardly on the score line 5. At the bottom, or opposite end of the carton, are provided the two aps shown respectively at 6 and 8, that shown at 6 being foldable inwardly and upwardly on the score line 7, while that shown at 8 is foldable inwardly and upwardly on the score line 9. It will be noted that each of the flaps 2, 4, 6 and 8 is of a width substantially equal to the width of the box, so that when the several flaps are sealed down in their overlapping relationship, the carton will be greatly strengthened due to the doublewaled effect secured at both ends of the carton.

In preparing the carton for the closing and sealing operation by the apparatus herein described, the carton is filled and the aps indicated at 2 and 6 are then manually folded inwardly to the closed positions shown in Fig. 2. The upper flap 4 is left in its upstanding or erect position, substantially as shown in Fig. 2, while the lower or bottom flap 8 is left in the downwardly-extending position as therein shown. The carton in this condition is in readiness to be placed in the apparatus to have theffaps 4 and 8 receive an adhesive material or glue coating on their inner surfaces and be then folded down by pivotal movement in opposite directions into closed position. The apparatus for performing this operation is shown in Figs. l and 2.

The framing of the machine is not completely shown, but it includes a pair of spaced, parallel side frame members or plates indicated at 10, between which are operated the conveying chains which move the cartons, one of said chains being indicated diagrammatically at 33 in Fig. l. These chains extend over a number of sprockets, one of which is indicated at 34 and which are driven by suitable means. Since this carton-moving means is described in detail in the herein mentioned Schlemmer patent it is not shown in detail herein, it being sufficient to state that the cartons are successively moved along the supporting platform shown at 13 to the position where the laps 4 and 8 are closed and sealed.

The platform 13 (shown in Fig. 3) upon which the cartons are moved toward the right, is supported by suitable, spaced-apart brackets 29, and extending along the sides of the platform 13 and above the same is a pair of spaced angle-bars 11 and 12 serving to accurately guide the cartons l along upon the platform 13. ln placing the cartons on the platform 13 at its entrance end, at the left end of the same, or at the position indicated at l5, a guide pin 18 secured to and projecting laterally from a guide lin 16 under which the carton is positioned, prevents improper placement of the carton. That is to say, if an attempt is made to place the carton on the platform 13 with the upstanding upper flap 4 at the side of the tin 16 from which the pin 18 projects, and which incorrect position of the carton is shown in Fig. 6, the pin will prevent the placement of the carton on the platform by contacting with the flap 4. Similarly, the platform 1S is provided with a laterally-projecting pin 19 which, by its position, will contact with the wronglylocated bottom flap 8 (Fig. 6) so that the operator will be at once informed of the fact that he is attempting to improperly place the carton on the platform.

As the carton is moved along on the platform 13 with its flap 4 in an upstanding position, and its bottom ap S projecting downwardly, both of these aps receive an application of glue, which can be applied to their inner aces by the means disclosed in the aforementioned Schlemmer patent or by any other suitable glue-applying means known in this art. While the cartons are moving along the platform 13, the upper inner flap 2 is held down by the pressure of the lower edge ofthe iin 16.

The n 16 is supported from the parallel bars 20 and 2i, which are in turn suitably supported from the frame in a manner to permit of their being raised or lowered to accommodate the apparatus to cartons of different heights. Brackets 2.3 and 24 attach the fin 16 to the supporting bars and 21. lt will be observed that the n 16 terminates at the point indicated at 22 to thereby provide clearance for the ilap 4 as the same is swung down to sealing position.

At 25 is shown a curved rod having one end attached at 26 to bar Z1, and this rod is so shaped as to cause it to engage against the inturned top ap 2 as the carton moves along the platform and reaches the position where it enters under this rod. The rod 25 also holds the carton down on the platform and prevents it from rising as the upstanding top flap 4 enters under the inclined portion of the folder bar 2S and is caused to be folded down thereby. Folder bar 253 is attached at 27 to the bar 20, As the carton progresses further along the platform 13 and reaches the point indicated at 23a, the Hap 4 has been pressed down flatly against flap 2 and is in adherent contact therewith. The carton thereupon passes under the guide tin .32 and pressure means to then pass into a compression area where its flaps are pressed together until the Haps are securely united.

The lower flap 8 of the carton is folded upwardly by means of the inclined folder bar or rod 30, as indicated at 31, and attached at one end to frame member 10, and which folder bar is arranged to direct the lower flap 8 upwardly. It will be noted that the platform 13 has a tapered end 14 which is bevel-edged as indicated at 14a and the carton is supported on this end as it leaves the folder bar 30, and which does not bring the flap 8 into contact with the inner flap 6 or with the end portion of the platform, the contact between the flaps 8 and 6 being established as the carton leaves the tapered end 14 of the platform and begins its travel on rollers 38 or other suitable supports which press the flap 8 intimately into contact with the inner iiap 6 and cause it to securely adhere thereto.

From the foregoing, the operation of the describedapparatus will be readily understood. The cartons are manually placed on the platform 13 at the entering end of the apparatus, that indicated at 15, the pins 18 and 19 insuring the proper placement of each carton on the platform. As each carton is moved along the platform 13, its upstanding flap 4 and its downwardly-projecting ilap 8 each receive a charge of glue on its inner face. Fin 16 holds down the inner flap 2. until the carton enters under rod 25 at one end of which the iin 16 terminates, as indicated at 22. Rod 25 holds the flap 2 and prevents raising movement of the carton as the upstanding ap 4 contacts with the folder bar 28 and is folded down under the same to be brought in contact thereby with the downfolded inner flap 2 to which it will adhere. It will be observed that the distance between tins 16 and 32 is such as to permit the swing of the full-width flap 4 from its upstanding position of Fig. 2 to its downfolded position in which it becomes adherent to the ilap 2. As the carton starts its entry under the part 28a of the folder bar 28, the lower flap 8 comes into contact with the folder bar 30 and is folded upwardly thereby and closely adjacent to the platform 13. As the carton leaves the tapered end of the platform the bottom flap 8 is pressed into contact with the inner bottom flap 6 and becomes adherent thereby by pressure of the rollers 3S and subsequent supports not herein shown, but which support the carton as it is compressed until the flaps are securely sealed down by drying of the adhesive.

While I have herein suggested that both the top and bottom flaps of the carton shall be folded down and sealed by the means herein described, it will be apparent that either the top or bottom flap might be separately and independently operated on if desired. This and other modiications are believed to be within the scope of the invention and the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

l. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a support along which a carton is moved while in an upright position and which carton is provided with closure aps extending for the full width of the carton, and with one of said flaps extending upwardly and another of said flaps extending downwardly from the opposite side Walls of the carton, means in the path of travel of the carton for folding the flaps inwardly and in opposite directions to cause said full-width flaps to be folded and sealed down at the opposite ends of the carton, and means at one end of the support for preventing the placement of a carton on it while flaps other than those to be folded down are in extended positions.

2. In a carton-sealing apparatus, a support on which cartons travel, guide means above the support for engaging against and holding down a top flap of the carton, a projecting element on said guide means for engagement with an upstanding ap at the top of a carton to prevent placement of the carton on the support, and a projecting element on the support to prevent placement of a carton on the support when a downwardly-extending liap of the carton comes into contact with the latter projecting element.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,352,899 Johnson Sept. 14, 1920 2,390,107 Kucklinsky Dec. 4, 1945 2,640,305 Genco et al June 2, 1953 2,643,497 Woelfer June 30, 1953 2,691,260 Schlemmer Oct. 12, 1954 

